The Hero of the Masks: A retelling of The LoZ: Majora's Mask
by Bub-Omb
Summary: In Termina, a world that lies parallel to Hyrule, a danger is unleashed that threatens the lives of the citizens that stay in the center of the lands: The Clock Town. Follow the perspectives of the people that experienced the efforts of a young boy who sought to save the town from an ancient terror as the story slowly pieces itself together through the collaboration of their views.


I am the Happy Mask Salesman. What is my real name? Do not worry about it. You will never need to refer to me as anything else. But I do have a story for you. Oh yes, a great legend that is spoken by many throughout the lands of Termina. What is Termina? Well, Termina is a land that lies… parallel… to the great kingdom of Hyrule in which we all know and love. There are… special ways… to travel between one another. But enough idle chatter. I have a story to tell.

I am not sure how I should tell this. Past tense? Present tense? Or perhaps future tense? I suppose it doesn't matter really. I believe that I will complicate things less if tell you as they have occurred already. I am standing inside of a clock tower. A very large and intricate clock tower, mind you. It was constructed for purposes unknown to most; however, we do know for a fact that it opens up every year in Termina, just in time for the celebration of the Carnival of Time. This year is a little bit different though. I do not plan to stay for this Carnival; it is not my purpose here. I want to leave in just a short while. I am waiting on a young boy to give me my mask back; he left about three days ago. Not that he took it, but he is charged with the task of retrieving it. Why him? Well, I have something to help him in return. He has been cursed, and does not look like himself. Instead, he looks like a deranged tree or sprout of some sort. This sprout is called a Deku Scrub. There is an entire race of these strange, animated trees that lives in these areas but they are phenomenally well known for possessing little to no self defense. The poor boy seemed hopeless, but I have faith in him. You see, I may have set him up a little bit. But trust me; it is for the greater good.

A while ago I was assaulted. A strange, living scarecrow-like being, called a Skullkid, attacked me. These creatures live like the Dekus and in a similar manner they are defenseless and peaceful; sometimes into mischief, but essentially peaceful. This assault was quite unexpected you see. He seemed to have launched it with some sort of magical assistance. Shortly before his trap toppled me to the ground, a tree root that seemed to come from nowhere and snared my ankle, I noticed a few fairies floating about his head. I am assuming that this is where his magical aid came from. Regardless, while I was attempting to recuperate, he searched the massive pack that I wear on my back. I collect masks of many sorts, and he seemed to take a liking to their unique exhibition. I tried to swat him away as I wrestled with the growth around my leg but he only took it as a playful challenge. He took the mask he liked the most and ran off with it. After I had recovered, I looked at my pack and tried to figure out exactly which mask he had stolen from my possession. My heart sank when I realized which one had he had taken a fancy to; Majora's Mask. This mask is more than just a mask you know. It is a tool that was used to trap an ancient spirit; one capable of tremendous power if released. And seeing as this Skullkid was quite into mischief and had the aid of two fairies, I assumed he may actually be able to manage to release a portion of the demonic power, even if it is done by mistake. I knew that things could not end well if this were to happen, so I had to gain some assistance. I am not a man of adventures; simply a man of travels. I am not one who is up for the task of destroying a demonic reincarnation. No no no, not me. However, I do know who is.

A young boy from Hyrule once helped me to sell some masks among the people of the land and did so quite well. Right away he seemed to be quite capable of adventurous deeds, but the simple task of selling masks was not what I found to be outstanding. The boy was deemed a legend when he took up the task of saving Hyrule. Oh yes, he did save then entire land of Hyrule, and for the most part, he did it alone. Of course he had assistance where needed, but he traveled the lands and scaled the mountains and swam the underwater ravines and crossed the tremendous valleys and deserts. All in all, he did the dirty work. He toppled the power threatening to ruin the land, and did so with little to no recognition of it. Sure people knew who he was and what he did, but no one actually saw him do it; omit a select few of us. He managed to get a hold of a magical ocarina – yes that silly little instrument with a few holes and a spout to blow into – which had a number of special characteristics. The most prominent of all of the traits was its ability to turn back and alter time. Along with his time changing abilities, the hero could travel forward to the point in which he was bigger and strong enough to defeat the evil wizard that threatened to rule the land; Ganondorf. Once finished, he turned back time and allowed the rest of the people to live out their lives the way that they deserved to.

But again, I digress. The real point here is that I knew he was able to do what I needed him to do; save the land of Termina from whatever scheme the Skull Kid – no, that word almost seems to give him credit as an individual, that imp – might ensue. So I did something awful. Yes, I will admit, it was a horrid act, but it needed to happen. I stole his fairy. I captured the thing while he slept – in a simple bottle of all devices – and took her back with me. I knew as well as he did that the fairy was responsible for a great amount of assistance in saving Hyrule, and he had established quite the strong relationship with the creature. So, the boy went off to search for his partner. He traveled into the Lost Woods and did what everyone does there; get lost. After getting lost, he stumbled into a special part of the woods that has a magical power beyond that of anyone's imagination. The link between the world of Hyrule and the world of Termina lies in those woods. So, he ended up here, in Termina. Once he got here, our little Skullkid friend found him, just as he did me. He frightened the boy's horse and threw him off, then proceeded to steal his Ocarina of Time. Once stripped of his most powerful tools – his ocarina, his fairy, and his horse – the Skullkid used the power set within Majora's Mask and turned the boy into a Deku Scrub. After he was cursed, I came out of my hiding place from where I watched the horror unfold and presented myself to the boy. I told him that I would be able to help him, but he needed to get that mask back for me. How he will do it, I do not know. I know that in the previous events one of the Skullkid's fairies got left behind and decided to follow the boy around instead. Perhaps she will aid him in the way he needs.

I am looking around the room and I see it all slowly beginning to shift and turn in front of me, almost like an illusion. I sigh a sigh of relief as I realize that he has managed to retrieve his Ocarina from the Skullkid and is currently turning time backwards. Perhaps he realized that at the end of the three days that I had allotted him to retrieve my mask, the moon would crash into and destroy the city around us. No, this is not a normal occurrence, but the Skullkid managed to create quite a mess with the power he had stolen. I know what is going on, as time warps itself backwards, but most would not. I wait until the world returns to a normal and see the boy, still in Deku form, enter the Clock Tower where I stand. The boy and approaches me. I smile at him in excitement and bend down to place a hand on his shoulder.

"Were you able to recover your precious item from that Imp?" I ask, referring to the Ocarina. He responds by merely looking at me. I grin as I realize that he can't talk since he is still cursed into being just a Deku Scrub. He pulls the Ocarina out and I become overwhelmed with excitement. Shaking the Deku boy about, I begin to shout. "Oh! Oh! Ohhh! You got it! You got it! You got it! You got it!" I make my way over to my massive piano to teach him a song to play on his magical ocarina. "Then listen to me. Please play this song that I am about to perform, and remember it well… Follow after me." The air is filled with the soft and eerie sound of a song that I call the Song of Healing. Its notes linger in the air as if it is searching for a wounded soul and a shattered spirit to mend. Its magical aura does just as the name suggests, when played through the right instruments. It is one that I have used numerous times on my travels.

The Deku Scrub plays the song, just as I asked, and he is reverted to his normal boy form. "This is a melody that heals evil magic and troubled spirits, turning them into masks. I am sure it will be of assistance to you in the future," I tell him. Lying on the floor in front of him is a mask that bears the face of the Deku he was just previously. "Ah, yes. I give you this mask in commemoration of this day. Fear not, for the magic has been sealed inside the mask. When you wear it, you will transform into the shape you just were. When you remove it, you will return back to normal." The boy looks at me with a mixed expression of horror and confusion, with a hint of curiosity. I am sure that all of these events would perplex such a young mind, but it is not my job to explain it all to him, just to heal him and get my mask back.

"Now, I have fulfilled my promise to you…" I began. "So please, give me that which you promised me…" The boy stars at me quite blankly before averting his gaze to stare down to his feet. My heart falls into my stomach as I watch his reaction to my request. "Don't tell me… My mask… You did… Get it back… Didn't you?" His lack of response answers my question in itself. I pick the boy up by his neck and thrash him about in anger."What have you done to me!?" I ask in frustration. I set him back down before I injure the boy, and clasp my hands to my head in disbelief. "If you leave my mask out there, something terrible will happen!" I shout. I decide that it is best to explain the meaning of the mask to him, and remove part of this shroud of mystery surrounding his quest.

"The mask that was stolen from… it is called Majora's Mask." I explain. "It is an accursed item from Legend that is said to have been used by an ancient tribe in its hexing rituals. It is said that an evil and wicked power is bestowed upon the one who wears that mask. According to legend… the troubles caused by Majora's mask were so great… the ancient ones, fearing such catastrophe, sealed the mask in shadows forever, preventing its misuse. But now, that tribe from the legend has vanished, so no one really knows the true nature of the mask's power… But I feel it. I went to great lengths to get that mask. When I finally had it… I could sense the doom of a dark omen brewing. It was that unwelcome feeling that makes your hair stand on end. And now… that Imp has it. I am begging you! You must get that mask back quickly or something horrible will happen!" I look down at the boy and see a sense of disbelief in his eyes. I take a different approach.

"I'm begging you!" I shout. "I'm begging you! You must do it!" His expression shifts from one of disbelief to one of anxiety. I take the queue. "Really? You'll do it for me? I was certain you would tell me that." He gives me a confused glance as he realizes that I am playing on his lack of words, and my understanding of his lack of words, to force him into accepting the task. I decide that he may need some reassurance. "You'll be fine!" I tell him. "Surely, you can do it. Believe in your strengths… Believe…" The boy slumps out of the Clock Tower without speaking a word. Perhaps I was too harsh on forcing him into the task, but it has to be done. I believe in him, his fairy, and his ocarina. If anyone can save Termina, it is that young boy. A legend, and a hero.

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_Authors Notes: Hey, Bub-Omb here. I had a large multitude of inspirations to start up a Majora's Mask fan fiction, so here it is. I plan to make a chapter to depict the collection of every mask throughout the entire game. I do not want to stray from the original story or plot, as much as possible, and hope for it to be more like a retelling of the game, just with some extra explanation and backstory to the characters that Link interacts with throughout the game. I welcome any and all comments and reviews, and I would love to hear what you readers out there think of the idea. _

_Fair Use Disclaimer: This story is for strictly for entertainment purposes only and is entirely for nonprofit. All of the characters, places, images, concepts, and much of the dialog are Nintendo's copyrighted material that come straight from the game The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask, and I do not own the rights to any of them._


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